By Harrison Hamm
Chicago Fire FC are dreaming big.
Led by a pair of huge goals from emerging South African star Puso Dithejane, the Fire secured their place in the Leagues Cup knockout rounds with a statement 2-1 victory over LIGA MX powerhouse Cruz Azul.
The win puts Chicago through as the only MLS team to win all three Phase One games outright – and positions them as a legitimate tournament contender.
“We knew the implications of the game,” head coach Gregg Berhalter said afterward. “Everyone knew the implications of the game. Cruz Azul did as well. So for us, it was we need to advance.”
Stock rising
Dithejane has blossomed into a key piece of the Fire’s impressive run. The U22 Initiative signing got on the end of a loose ball in the box to put Chicago ahead, before slotting home a pass from Maren Haile-Selassie in second-half stoppage time to break a 1-1 tie.
In his first MLS season since signing from South Africa’s TS Galaxy over the winter, Dithejane’s exceptional work rate and nose for goal have made him increasingly essential for Berhalter’s side.
“We see it every day in training, we see what he does,” Berhalter said. “When we came back from the World Cup break, we had a chance to go home, and we played a couple friendly games and we’re training, and every day he’s scoring goals.
“He’s a dynamic player and gets in good spots. He still needs to develop and still has got a long way to go, but there’s a ton of potential in him and happy for him. He was the coach’s man of the match.”
Cuypers reunion
Chicago have rounded into top form at the right time. After opening Leagues Cup with victories over Necaxa and Santos Laguna, the Fire saved arguably their most impressive performance for Cruz Azul.
La Máquina entered Thursday having won each of their first two Leagues Cup matches, topping New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union.
“It’s a strong team, and they didn’t win the championship for no reason,” Berhalter said. “For us, it was a good challenge. I told the guys, we signed up for this. This is why we’re all here, to play games like this. We won one of them, but we’re gonna win more, and if we win more, then we’ll do good things.”
The tests will only get tougher as the Fire advance to the quarterfinals later this month. There, they’ll face CF Monterrey — led by former Chicago striker Hugo Cuypers, who departed for the LIGA MX side in July for a $7.5 million fee while atop the MLS Golden Boot race.
“Of course, right? Of course it turned out like that,” Berhalter said. “Monterrey’s a good team. It’s gonna be a good competition.
"It would be nice if we could do something for Hugo, honor him in front of the fans … he was a big part of what we were doing here. Now he’s enjoying Monterrey, scoring a bunch of goals, and they’re going to be a good opponent.”